New Delhi: Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the firm behind ChatGPT, has revealed that India is now the second-largest market for the company. Altman shared that the user base in India tripled over the past year, making the country a crucial hub for the growth of artificial intelligence. “India is an incredibly important market for AI in general and OpenAI in particular,” Altman said during a fireside chat, according to The Indian Express.
Altman, who recently arrived in India on Tuesday, met with Union Minister for Railways, Electronics, and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw. The two discussed India’s AI ecosystem and the country’s future vision for the technology. Altman expressed his enthusiasm about collaborating with India on creating a full AI stack—comprising GPUs, models, and applications. He also praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of democratizing technology, noting the alignment with OpenAI’s mission.
Altman’s visit comes at a time when ChatGPT faces increasing competition from Chinese tech firm DeepSeek’s newly launched AI chatbot, R1. R1 has gained traction in the market due to its affordability and lower computing power requirements, offering an alternative to the high-cost AI models like ChatGPT. R1 even surpassed ChatGPT to become the top free app on Apple’s App Store. This disruption has reportedly contributed to a massive $590 billion loss in market value for NVIDIA.
In a parallel development, India’s AI ambitions are growing. Last week, Minister Vaishnaw announced that India plans to develop its own foundational AI model and introduce 18,693 GPUs as part of a shared computing facility. This initiative is part of the country’s broader strategy to establish itself as a global leader in AI. Vaishnaw also emphasized that under Prime Minister Modi’s vision, the aim is to make advanced technology accessible to all, positioning India as a competitive player in the global AI landscape.
